April 28th 2015. There I was, killing time on the internet till my part-time gig at the Tax Collector's Office, aka the DMV, was up for the day. I was browsing the job listings, not because I needed a new job but because I was bored out of my mind and had already paged through all the "free" stuff.
After several weeks of mindless searching, I came upon it: an ad for a part-time job as an internet marketer, paying $12 an hour. Now, I was making $8.75 giving people tickets so they could wait to see someone that actually knew what they were talking about, so this new job sounded pretty great.
Fast-forwarding a bit... Always a few minutes late, I nervously rush up the hardwood stairs of an old brick building I had always admired from afar. I get to the top. The door opens to reveal a room sparsely populated by smart-looking 20 somethings engrossed in their computers. Tables sporting over-sized computer monitors and bookish desk lamps line the brick walls dotted with exclamations of the inhabitants' occupations. The "Gainesville Scene" banner and the chalk-drawn "Starter Space" wall, featuring a winding tree of mantras and encouragement, stand out to me.
I didn't know it at the time, but this neat little work space was to be my home for the next four months as I learned, and attempted to apply, the art of SEO link building. While I eventually quit this job so as to focus on my studies and my own entrepreneurial endeavors, my time as a Brand Manager at Hyperlynx Media gave me my first brush with startups. And, as so often happens, I was hooked.
From there, I joined the Entrepreneurship Club at UF and am currently the Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Program. And now here I am, taking the Principles of Entrepreneurship for my minor in, you guessed it, Entrepreneurship. Also taking the class because I am genuinely interested in what it can teach me. Already my idea that entrepreneurship was one of those things certain people are born good at has changed to a better understanding of entrepreneurship as a discipline, with general processes that can be learned.
As for that picture, this is the old "Starter Space" tree I mentioned, alongside the new Starter Space mural in Innovation Hall:
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| Starter Space, Gainesville, FL |
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| Starter Space 2.0, Gainesville, FL |
Hey Cassandra! Your entrepreneur story is really interesting to me. I actually know someone who just got a job at Hyperlinx Media! She's really happy with the job and really likes her boss, Jonathan. I find it very inspiring that you grew from your first entrepreneurship story. Becoming the director of the entrepreneurship development program is something you should be really proud of. My first entrepreneurship story started out young when my parent's opened their own Filipino restaurant. Like you, this story has developed goals and dreams that I am currently pursuing! I would appreciate it if you read my post about my story! The link is: http://jeromerimpos.blogspot.com/2016/01/filipino-food-my-entrepreneurship-story.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Jerome! I hope your friend has a good experience with Hyperlynx. And thanks for sharing your story. I took a look at it and found it really interesting. It's so strange how we all come from different backgrounds and paths but can be brought together by one simple thing: entrepreneurship. Good luck with the software/tech startup :) keep following those dreams and you'll get there!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment Jerome! I hope your friend has a good experience with Hyperlynx. And thanks for sharing your story. I took a look at it and found it really interesting. It's so strange how we all come from different backgrounds and paths but can be brought together by one simple thing: entrepreneurship. Good luck with the software/tech startup :) keep following those dreams and you'll get there!
ReplyDeleteHi Cassandra! I really enjoyed your entrepreneurship story and think you have some great writing skills. My favorite part has to be the before and after picture at the end. It somewhat symbolic of entrepreneurship because something great came from something not as great. Anyways, good luck on all your future endeavors!
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